Yesterday's 1979 Cadillac Eldorado drank from the diesel teat, which was part of the reason that 83% of you downed the haterade in its condemnation. But enough about the hate, let's talk about some love- and if you love sourdough bread, foggy summer mornings, and the enduring legend of an island prison escape, then have we got the car for you!

This 1975 Chevy Caprice convertible would be an interesting car even if it were bone stock. Seventy five was the last year for the convertible Caprice, and only 8,349 drop tops left the factory that year. But this Caprice Classic is no ordinary Chevy- and its $14,000 asking price reflects this fact. No, the seller has pimped out this car, not in donktastic or low-ri-duhr fashion, but as a jaunty sky blue and white tribute to California's FOURTH largest city. What the color scheme has to do with San Francisco is a bit of a head scratcher, but the trunklid mural (and this last of the gargantuan Caprices has room for the entire cityscape) depicting the iconic structures of the city, including its bridge which is neither golden, nor possesses a gate. The only thing lacking on the car is to have oro en paz, fierro en guerra in script below the driver's window.

Not lacking, is what's under the hood of this 4,321-lb boulevarder. The seller claims an over-bored 460 with all the friction-reducing, power-adding mods you could think of, and topped by a cherry of a 670-cfm 4-barrel to feed those hungry, hungry hippos. A 400 THM and 373 Posi rear-end keep the power to the pavement, and the billet grill and HID headlamps will left everybody know you're coming through.

So, could you leave your heart in this $14,000 Caprice convertible? Or, does the price and the city homage styling make you want to move out of town?

You decide!

Left my heart in Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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From what we can see and what we're told in the press release, the folks at Australia's National Safety Agency (NSA) are collaborating with the LAPD, Holden and Chevy to show off an advanced integrated technology system with the new Chevy Caprice. The system will include:

*Large, purpose designed, multi-function, touch screen integrated into dashboard
*Intelligent power management system
*Consolidated user interface
*Automatic Licence Plate Recognition
*In-car video with live broadcast capability
*Advanced wireless connectivity
*Automatic and seamless CAD and computer system updates performed ‘on the fly' minimising down time and costly service calls
*Wireless vehicle telemetry fleet management system
*Forward looking infrared/night vision (FLIR) camera
*Fingerprint and facial recognition capability
*Virtual prisoner cell
*Latest high output low power LED lighting technology

While yes, the proposed Carbon Motors E7 would probably beat out the tech package from Chevy, the new Caprice is, you know, real. So take a look through the photos below of what appear to be two different packages and tell us what you see.

The one issue we had with the new Caprice was that it looked rather pedestrian — especially when compared to the menacing front end of a Dodge Charger. Well, in black, the Caprice actually looks pretty damn mean-looking. Take a look at that as well as the interior with its killer technology package that we'll be showcasing more on shortly.

Not what we drove, believe us. We had a great time at the Dream Cruise, but we didn't have a really great time getting there (or back!) because we drove Bumblebee/Phyllis/Edith, our bright yellow Camaro, and frankly most muscle cars are hell for long trips. Once we got back, dropped Phyllis/Edith/Optimus McBumblebee off, and cabbed it home, we realized the cabs were by far the comfiest yellow cars we'd ridden in all weekend. Which explains our first choice:

Chevy Caprice-or really any big American body-on-frame sedan

Occupants: Up to four down-to-earth friends with extensive cassette-tape collections

Attitude: Relaxed, with ample stops for gas-station souvenirs

Slouchy comfort is the strong suit here. You get big bench seats fore and aft to stretch out on, a sort of floaty wallowy comfort, and a huge trunk for storing enormous 256-ounce collector's drink mugs, petting-zoo T-shirts and silver naked-lady silhouettes. It's unquestionably American without being a grandiose flag-waving statement, and some of them are still mistaken for cop cars in many regions. A great car to use when the trip matters more than the destination, but the drive matters less than the trip, if you will.

Photo Credit: Geocities

Volkswagen Camper Van

Occupants: Two in comfort, but up to four with increasing probability of hippies occurring

Attitude: Face-first and wide-eyed into the eternal now of the North American continent, or other such pseudopoetics

The VW van is really a very serviceable little automobile, within its limits, but those limits are defined as much by metaphysics as physics. Something about its ambling rate of progress, its right-up-front driving position, and of course its heritage, all combine to make this car a spiritual pitfall. People have been known to become cut-rate Ken Keseys after a week traveling in one of these, which is too bad. They really are pleasant and functional little things to putt around in, if your tie-dye inoculation is up to date.

Photo Credit: Motivemag

Mercedes E-Class Wagon

Occupants: Married couple with 2.4 kids

Attitude: Don't Make Me Turn This Thing Around, You Spoiled Ungrateful Brats

The point here isn't Mercedes style or quality or comfort or any of that, though it's nice to have those conveniences and comforts as possible on a family vacation. Any wagon would work just fine here as long as it had, as the Merc does, the rear-facing bench seats for the wee 'uns. The backwards bench is plain awesome to ride in when you're a certain age (roughly 7-65) and your mean dad won't stop at the petting zoo. It's also a good barometer for judging the behavior of your little darlings. Just belt them in, give them some juice, and set out for the other coast. If a Peterbilt rear-ends you and kills you all stone dead, your children were hellions who have learned to give The Finger. If not, they're probably pretty good kids.

Photo Credit: Motorward

Mazda Miata

Occupants: One thoughtful loner or two people who are deeply and genuinely in love and have good nonverbal communications skills

Attitude: "I am just going outside and may be some time"

This is really the only hairshirt option on this list. Usually we love the Miata because of its balance and handling, but if you're the sort who can travel with a single big duffle bag and you're not limiting yourself to Interstates, the Miata is a brilliant tourer. The seats are good for moderately long stints, there's just enough weight that you don't get buffeted by trucks, and you can put speakers in the headrests so your music is audible over the wind noise, mostly. Believe us, driving through the mountains in a nimble convertible with the top down feels transcendent, like getting away with something. Of course, you'll become really familiar with American wheelcovers, and driving through a thunderstorm with the top up feels like spiralling down the Norway maelstrom in a tent, so there are tradeoffs.

Photo Credit: Automotive

Ford Bronco

Occupants: 1-3, plus huge dog with bandanna around its neck (not optional)

Attitude: Roads are nice, but not really necessary

Who wouldn't love a good old Bronc? It's the perfect cross-county ride for people who take the phrase literally. Plus you sit up nice and high, so you can see over bridge railings and the like, and you can roll the rear window down and feel rugged and raffish. And everyone loves them so you'll instantly make friends with the locals, especially when you stop to take snapshots of the petting zoo and your huge dog with the bandanna around its neck jumps out.

Photo Credit: flickr

Infiniti FX35

Occupants: Up to four adults with luggage or two with a darling credenza

Attitude: Before we leave, make sure all the NPR stations are pre-programmed in

There are some people who simply must have an SUV, so if you must, take this. It has the ride height to give you good views, it drives more or less like a car, it returns fair fuel economy, and it can even carry a few tasteful pieces back, for those who are too button-down for kitschy road-trip crap but aren't above a bit of modest antiquing. Just don't bring kids, who tend to leave unsightly smudges on the glass as you drone right past waterparks and petting zoos and giant roadside dinosaurs. Come to think, don't bring us either.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Cadillac Sedan DeVille, 1994-1999 models

Occupants: One.

Attitude: Stern, plus must be starting in upper Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest, or Upper Northeast, and be heading for Florida

This is a seriously comfy car: good leather, nicely done LED lights, arctic air conditioning, very smooth Northstar V8. God alone knows why they stopped making it, but it's no surprise because there hasn't been a sane day in this country since Eisenhower. Ashtray's really too small for the cigars, but that's why Christ created power windows. Damn if Rush doesn't sound like he's right in the car with you, and the music would sound okay too if it all didn't sound like some loon bangin' on a can anymore. How many more miles to Fort Lauderdale?

Photo Credit: picasa

Converted School Bus

Occupants: Up to 30, but who's counting?

Attitude: Either "Taking a year off to see a game in every great American ballpark" or "If it's really and truly terminal, this is better than a hospital bed."

Sometimes a transcontinental journey is both a specific goal and a way to say To Hell With Everything. In those cases, see of your local school district has a Bluebird they're not planning on using and go to town with whatever tools and batty ideas you have lying around. The example in our photo is a bit extreme, but you don't have to have a camper van welded to the top. Cutting off the roof aft of the wheel humps to make a porch works, as does adding alfresco seating in the middle section, as is installing a hang-glider launch ramp on the roof. Once you finally trundle it out there, just don't be in a hurry. Be willing to let "across the nation" become "around the nation." And watch for hippies.

Photo Credit: hackedgadgets

Acura NSX

Occupants: 1-2

Attitude: Understated, underappreciated, and well over the speed limit.

There may be better and faster grand-touring cars, but we just love this thing. Honda couldn't convince people their exotic really was an exotic, but we get it. Most know its reputation as a very balanced car, even with "only" 300 horsepower-less than the FX35. But it's also a supremely comfortable car, with some of the all-time great seats. It'll only hold two carry-ons in its "trunk," but you're not going camping in an NSX; have the coincierge send your clothes out to be cleaned and pressed while you take dinner. If we were to make a serious attempt at a fast but sane personal transcontinental record, this car would be hard to pass up.

Photo Credit: gotbroken

Mustang GT

Occupants: 1-3

Attitude: One man drives while the other men scream

We repeat: Muscle cars are terrible long-distance transportation. But if we had to pick one, it'd be the Mustang GT, with its combination of good outward visibility, ride quality, driver comfort, and survivable back seat room. If you have to play Third Cylon in a muscle car, as we did on our recent Detroit trip, this is the muscle car to do it in. But seriously, after the first gas stop, you'll be thinking about trading it in on a nice '94 Sedan DeVille.

But whatever you go in, go! We've given you the best states to drive across, discussed the worst, and now a list of vehicles and ideas. Now get out there on the road and make our country a great destination again. Those petting-zoo animals ain't gonna pet themselves!

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman

OK, I have some late-breaking news for you from the world of GM, where things are indeed moving quickly, and what I'm about to say is proof.

In fact, we're moving so fast, we're going back in time to, oh, about four or five days ago, when the Pontiac G8 was going away and was not going to become a new Chevrolet Caprice.

And therein lies the news: The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste.

That's all still true. But I have to say that, with my new "marketing" hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be.

I know that we'll get a lot of complaints from G8 lovers, because I'm one of them. And the product guy in me is complaining as loudly as anyone. But the marketing guy says there's no case. With budgets being what they are for the time being, the resources must be allocated elsewhere.

In no way, and this is very important, in no way does this mean we are backing away from performance, or backing away from rear-wheel drive. Look no further for proof than the Corvette, the Camaro, the CTS or many other present and future Cadillacs. We have a strong lineup of RWD vehicles already and we will continue to have it.

And we have a tremendous RWD team in Australia that gave us the beloved G8, a team that we will tap into at some point again in the future for its expertise and sheet metal. Just not right now.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's New GM 1 and Fun GM 0. [via GM Fastlane Blog]

The comment he gave Autoblog? "We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

Then, to the two print journalists, his comment was: "No. It's not going to happen." Then, when pressed for a specific comment about "Maximum" Bob's remarks, Henderson retorted in his best "I'm the decider" voice: "Bob Lutz says a lot of things, but he works for me." Awesome. Way to tell off Bob for straying off the reservation.

It seems to us like Fritz is saving his best lines for the non-online outlets, doesn't it? It's too bad neither print journalist actually published this quote as it's SO much better than the Autoblog quote.

To summarize: CEO Fritz Henderson first says G8 GXP survival unlikely. Then, Lutz says it's coming back. Today we find out from AutoBlog that Fritz said yesterday:

We've been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it's broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We've been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we'll leave it at that."

It could be a long year if the "New GM" is going to be nothing but Lutz Said/Fritz Said. Either way, big G8 fans may at least be able to settle on retired police cars.

[AutoBlog]

No, unfortunately, it's not. But what it does mean is Lutz will have a greater say in product planning than sources had initially claimed.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste."

CEO Fritz Henderson has repeatedly denied that the G8 would survive as part of another brand, saying he's "not a fan of rebadging."

But Lutz, citing export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet, assured Automobile GM would not let the car die. Find out more over at Automobile Magazine.

Photo Credit: GM Press Photo

That's right, it appears that the three SHOs that started the race have become one running SHO and a pair of parts cars, and they've got plenty of wrenchin' company in the pits. Yet some of the cars are holding together, and we saw an ever-shifting cast of top contenders today. When the first session ended at 6:30, the Dirty Some Beaches Honda Civic station wagon was on top. How? Well, any Civic that can keep its head gasket intact will get around the track pretty well, and the Dirty Some Beaches drivers know how to avoid the black flags; we have yet to see them in the Penalty Box. Adding drama to the standings, the #4 car (a Miata run by the same Texans who have been the People's Curse victims in both Houston races so far) started out with a 25-lap penalty and has managed to claw its way out of that hole, now closing to within just two laps of the leader. And what's the deal with that Grand Prix in the top ten? There's no telling how this will all shake out, but it should be 90 degrees and swampy in Belle Rose tomorrow, which means more thrown rods, more fried brakes, and more overall hoonage.

We've got a '69 Cadillac Sedan De Ville, a '66 Dodge Coronet 440 wagon, and a '68 Chevrolet Caprice sedan, all parked on or near the gritty Glascock Street in Oakland's Fruitvale district. These days, there's not so much grit in that neighborhood, as you can see in Google Street View (though the Googlemobile refused to drive down Glascock itself), but you still see some nice vintage iron parked in front of the condos and live/work lofts nowadays. I bought the legendary Hubert The Hatred Bug at a junkyard on Glascock, and the original Oakland Hell's Angels HQ, circa 1960, was just a few doors down.

We saw this '73 Caprice last week and this '70 not long before that, but that means that now is an even better time to check out this '67.


The two-door hardtop 1967 Caprice sold for $3,078 new, which was a little over 600 bucks more than a Bel Air two-door. Unlike the Bel Air, which came with a 250-cube six as standard equipment, the V8 was included in the base Caprice. Cheapskates got the 283, which got the job done just fine… but why would a cheapskate be buying a fine luxury machine such as the Caprice? Smart Chevy shoppers sprang for an extra $316 and got the SS 427 package, which upgraded the horsepower from 195 to 385. Of course, what's a 427 without a Rock Crusher 4-speed? A bargain at $181!

We saw this 1970 Caprice last month, but prior to that it's been all Bel Airs and Impalas in the Alameda Full-Size Chevy-O-Rama. Let's make it two Caprices today! The Caprice was the most expensive and luxurious big Chevy for 1973, with a four-door hardtop like this one going for $4,064, or more than 800 bucks over the price of the base Bel Air sedan. You could even get one with a 454 big-block V8… which made just 245 horsepower (and, on the bright side, about 9 billion foot-pounds of torque at 3 RPM).


This car lives on the same block as the 1971 Datsun 240Z, and it has enough custom touches to indicate that the current owner thinks of the car as more than just basic (if thirsty) daily transportation.

OK, now let's take a look at the big Chevrolets of the 1960s and 1970s we've seen so far in this series. No wagons, just regular Bel Airs, Caprices, and Impalas. Then, vote for your favorite!

1965 was the peak year for big Chevy sales, but pretty close to a million 1970 model year Bel Airs, Caprices, and Impalas roared off the showroom floors. That's more than twice the number of Chevelles and three times the number of Novas that year; the Camaro wasn't even on the sales radar by comparison, with just under 120,000 being sold due to the midyear introduction of the "1970-1/2" models. The full-size models really were the face of Chevrolet during this period, though you'd never know that now by looking at the machinery at car shows and cruise nights.


This Caprice is certainly on the rough side, but it's still here and still getting the job done. We've seen two other 1970 full-size Chevrolets in this series- this pretty nice one and this terrifyingly evil one- but today's is the first one that still has emblems identifying the model. The previous two are probably Impalas, but we can't be sure.

Some of these may be familiar to you, thanks to our Top Car Commercials Of The 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s series a while back, but we've got plenty of lost classics as well. We had to be careful not to give you too much of a Camaro Overdose (the Camaro seems to be the most heavily advertised product ever hawked by The General), but we don't want anyone missing out on the heartbeat! Enjoy.

1980 Monte Carlo Turbo	1985 Corvette	1985 Camaro	1985 Celebrity Eurosport
1967 Camaro	1984 Sprint	1969 Impala	1955 Chevrolet Cars
1970 Nova	1970 Chevelle SS 396	1984 Camaro	1984 Cavalier
1982 Chevette	1977 Camaro Z/28	1985 Camaro IROC Z	1970 Caprice
1986 Camaro	1971 Vega Kammback	1969 Chevelle SS 396	1955 Chevrolet Engines

[CarDomain]

[WastingTimeWithMikeAndAri]

With Mazda RX-7s taking the first two places at LeMons South (not to mention three of the top ten at the Arse-Freeze-A-Pa-Looza), you've got to figure you're looking at one of the all-time great budget race cars. Light, simple, and powered by a wailing rotary that's sure to give your competitors a migraine by the time the race is over... and you can get 'em for peanut shells! Say, this '85 RX-7 with an asking price of only $200. Two hundred bucks! Don't worry about that "not running" part, because the Wankel is such a simple engine- how hard can it be? You might even be able to sell off sufficient parts to come out ahead in the deal, leaving more money in your budget for beer and pornography safety equipment. Don't listen to the self-proclaimed experts who tell you that the RX-7's aluminum control arms make it too fragile to be out on a track with a bunch of big Detroit bullies, because you'll win for sure with yours!

Maybe you should listen to those experts who think the RX-7's inability to brush off impacts make it too much of a gamble at the 24 Hours of LeMons. Sure, the Mazdas finished first and second, but they got lucky! What you need is two tons of Detroit iron and a big ol' V8 to torque your way to victory. The Punisher Racing Caprice finished just four laps behind the winner, thanks to LT1 power and cop suspension... and you still have time to put together your own Caprice for the Texas race. Howzabout this '91 Caprice, with an asking price of $750? With five-buck gas looming, we're pretty sure you can negotiate the seller's price down, then sell some parts to get down below the 500 dollar limit. It runs fine (though you might want to be sure it has the LT1 and not the 305) and it only has 85,000 miles on the clock. There's some body damage, caused by a "commercial shoot driven by precision drivers" (that's reassuring, because you can't trust body damage caused by an ordinary driver on the way to the Stop-N-Rob), which is why it's so cheap. Throw some fat tires on it, maybe chop the springs, and you'll be the terror of Houston!

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